Paint is generally any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, is converted to a solid film. It has been used for over 40,000 years to protect, color, or provide texture to objects. Paint can be applied as a solid, as a gaseous suspension or as a liquid depending on the size of the object to be painted and the type of results desired. The amount of paint that is misplaced is largely a matter of the care of the painter, the type of tools the painter uses, and the size of the project. Certain tools, like rollers and brushes, generally put paint where it is wanted and require only thin strips of masking tape to segregate painted from unpainted surfaces. On a small project, masking surfaces adjacent to those in need of painting is not very time consuming. However, larger projects, like commercial settings where an entire house, building, or other structure must be painted make masking tape an unacceptable choice. In these circumstances, it has become common for painters to employ airless spray painting to accomplish the task. This form of painting utilizes a high-pressure pump that forces paint through a spray nozzle into a misting shower. Unlike spray guns that are used in conventional automobile and furniture painting, no air is mixed with the paint. While airless spray painting provides an extremely swift means for coating the surfaces of large structures, it has its drawbacks. In particular, it is difficult to create or frame a straight line around regular and irregular edged surfaces due to overspray, which occurs as the paint exits the nozzle of the spray gun. Masking tape, paper or plastic sheeting is often applied to form a protective shield to insure a complete and well defined surface for the application of paint, but this is costly from the standpoint of products used, and perhaps more significantly, from the aspect of additional labor required. Furthermore, when masking tape is not removed properly, it leaves a residue that is quite sticky and difficult to clean. Additionally, plastic and paper sheeting, because of their inherent flexibility, can move from their original positions during use, permitting paint to reach areas where it was not intended. To avoid the problems associated with masking tape, and to protect a non-designated surface or wall from the misapplication of paint while using a high pressure spray gun, painters have improvised by using hand-held paint shields formed with a strip of cardboard, aluminum or other suitable material. Such shields are held against a surface with one arm, leaving the other arm to use the sprayer, brush, or roller. As such, these shields become very difficult to hold in place while painting and are limited to straight edges. Corners, curves and irregular surfaces are therefore limited to masking with tape and sheeting.
Many objects may include curves or corners but include a constant cross sectional shape, and masking is required only to isolate them from their background. For example, curbs, parking bumpers, and the like include a constant cross sectional shape and require protective masking only to prevent the overspray of paint from hitting surrounding surfaces. The painting of curbs and parking bumpers is so common that the U.S. Department of Transportation has published “A Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways” that covers not only striping of roadways and highways, but also addresses the subject of curb painting. A curb is the edge where a raised pavement, sidewalk, footpath, road median or road shoulder meets an un-raised street or other roadway. Curbs separate the road from the roadside, discouraging drivers from parking or driving on sidewalks or lawns. They also provide structural support to the pavement edge. Curbs can be used to channel runoff water from rain, or melted snow and ice into storm drains. Curbs are effective at channeling motor vehicle traffic. There is also an aesthetic aspect, in that curbs look formal and “finished”, adding to the orderly appearance of the surrounding property. Other types of curbs include parking curbs.
Municipal jurisdictions throughout the United States often have established requirements for curb painting, particularly with relation to color coding for location and identification of the purpose of the curbed areas. The significance of the use of color-coding on curbs can best be described by colors as follows: Red zones are “No Parking” zones. They may be installed near intersection corners, at certain bus stops, at fire hydrants, at curb ramps, and most commonly, at edges of driveways. White zones are for passenger loading and unloading with a time limit of five minutes. The driver must remain with the vehicle at all times, with limited exceptions at preschools and hospitals. Typical establishments that may qualify for a white zone are hospitals, senior centers, medical offices with five or more practitioners, restaurants with 100 or more seats, theaters, churches, schools or government buildings. Green zones are for short-term parking, generally less than 10 minutes. Green can be applied in both metered and non-metered areas. Business establishments such as dry cleaners, florists, small neighborhood groceries, postal shipping centers and hardware stores may apply for short term parking privileges in front of their establishments. Yellow zones are for active freight loading and unloading only by commercial vehicles. Blue zones designate parking spaces for persons with valid disabled parking permits. Hence, brightly painted visible curbs help increase driver awareness and ensure safety for both vehicle operators and pedestrians. The adjoining roadway is often color coded as well, designed to direct or advise motor vehicle operators traveling over or parking in the paved areas. Thus, the importance of an orderly and clear application of colors can readily be understood.
Unfortunately, wear on the curbs from weather and vehicles bumping and rubbing against them cause damage to the painted surface; thereby requiring the re-painting of the curb to increase driver awareness. Because of the unconventional shape of a curb, using a paint sprayer typically causes excessive overspray onto undesired areas. In a parking lot with over 100 parking stalls, a painter would be required to place a masking barrier around all of the curbs before beginning the spraying. This would inevitably take considerable time and effort. Thus, what is needed in the art is a paint shield attachable to a paint gun sprayer that protects the area around a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape from misapplication of paint when using a spraying apparatus. The paint shield of the instant invention would eliminate the need for the application of masking tape and plastic or paper sheeting around a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape. The paint shield would thereby assist in the timely application of paint and reduce labor cost regardless of the dimension, curvature or location of a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape.